Today is the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The reflection on today's readings focus on the covenant that God made to His people. Jeremiah, in the first reading, has this as his theme throughout his prophetic ministry - God has made a pact to His people and He will fulfill His promise. The pact or the covenant that God has entered into with His chosen people will have its fulfillment upon the coming of His son. The Son, who is the image of the Father, is the one who will complete all the promises God made to His people since the beginning of time.

When Jesus proclaimed the truth as the one sent by the Father, the people didn't believe Him. In fact, they wanted Him killed but it wasn't His time yet. Jesus has challenged His followers to remain with Him until the end, until the fulfillment of all what has been prophesied about the Messiah.

Perhaps, in our time, as followers of Jesus, we have a greater challenge to remain with Him until the end. There are so many distractions around us that can pull us away from our desire to follow and serve God but if we will constantly pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in our faith, we will be able to conquer all the obstacles that may block our way towards Christian perfection.

Let us pray that we may become more committed in our desire to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. May the words of Jeremiah in the sacred scripture console us in times when we are doubting and failing: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." God knows us even before we were formed in our mother's womb. That is how He shows His love for us. Amen.

​Saint Paul has passionately preached about the gifts that the Holy Spirit grants to the believers. In his writings to the Corinthians, as we could read today, he emphasized the mystery of the Church as the body of Christ. Although there is one body but many parts and Jesus is the head.

Through our varied gifts, we form different parts of one body. Someone acts as feet, as hands, so on and so forth. The mystery lies on the ability of the body to function as one and in harmony with one of each part. The Church, likewise, functions as one with different members. The harmony between each of the members in the Church as part of the one body of Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Today, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, we look reflectively into the challenge of Saint Paul to our parish community to be truly ONE, harmonious and vibrant community of faith where each of us puts forward his or her gifts for the use of the Church. What gift have you received from the Holy Spirit that you wanted to share to the rest of our parish community? Where does God call you to serve?

Let us keep in mind that each one of us plays an important role in building up this body of Christ and each contribution of time, talent and treasure is very much appreciated not only by myself as the pastor but by each and every one of our members. Everyone is important. Everyone is needed. Everyone can help.

We pray today for our Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, and for all Her members throughout the globe as we continue the legacy and mission of Christ by fostering love, spreading hope and preaching peace to all.

​The gospel reading is filled with symbolism, symbols that if we are not keen to look at can be a subject of misinterpretation. The symbolic meaning in the gospel should not surprise us, for symbolism has always been the language of religion. It gives wings, as it were, to earth-bound words so that they can rise to the level of divine meaning. And so, when Jesus calls his mother "woman," He is recognizing in her the role of new Eve, "mother of all the living" as Gen 3:20 tells us, because she is His mother and He represents a new creation.

On the second reading, Paul speaks of the gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are in many ways the same for each of us, yet at the same time they are different because of the diversity among us. These gifts produce service and workings from among us, all of which manifest the Spirit for the ultimate good of all of us. This gift of the Spirit is the consequence of living a new life in Christ.

The gift of the Spirit that Saint Paul talks about is manifested in our community as we struggle to discern, to grow in knowledge and wisdom on how we are going to continuously build this parish in becoming a community of love, where all of us are brothers and sisters to each other.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us that necessary grace so that we can use His gifts for the spiritual growth of everyone in this parish. Together, we will rise above the challenge and bear fruits of love, peace and joy! God bless us all.

Today is the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, which truly signals the end of the Christmas cycle. By this time, all the Christmas decorations have been put away, Christmas trees have been put down. What probably remains of the Christmas season is the joy in every one’s heart brought about by the celebrations of gift giving and well wishing.

The first verses of today's gospel make it clear that the baptism of John is only a preparation for the coming of Jesus. His baptism is in water only, whereas the baptism that Jesus offers is also "with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16). This is a reference no doubt to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and in the daily activities of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The beautiful description of Saint Luke on the consequences of the baptism of Jesus must not be seen simply as something that happened to Jesus alone, more than two thousand years ago. For in our own baptism we have become part of the new creation and God speaks to us also with those same loving and empowering words that he spoke to Jesus (adapted in our situation): "You are my beloved child; I love you very much." With these divine words we are truly joined to the person and the mission of Jesus.​Jesus heard these words of his heavenly Father all throughout his ministry. When he went aside to pray, he would be comforted and reassured and strengthened by these loving words. We too would do well to set aside some time each day to listen as God whispers to us that we are so loved that we do not ever need to be afraid. As we do that, we enter into the full meaning and power of our baptism and we find the secret of living in gratitude and hope.

The life of Jesus begins with Mary. Therefore, it is appropriate that we begin the New Year with a Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. Since Mary is the Mother of God she is the mother of joy, joy to the world. So the traditional greeting on the first day of the New Year is one of joy: Happy New Year! Happy New Year! How many times are you going to hear that this week? How many times will you give that same greeting to others? Will it be just a conventional greeting or will it be a real wish? In other words, is it really possible to find happiness in the New Year?

It would be a mistake, of course, to expect perfect happiness this year or any year in this life. This innate, insatiable drive we all have for perfect happiness can only be satisfied in the next life. As St. Augustine said, “Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” But there is a deep, lasting peace that everyone can have in this life.

Let us go to Bethlehem to see what it is. Look into the manger. Take your eyes away from the beautiful babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger and look around. There are none of those things in which we seek happiness. There are no riches, no fame, no power, no conveniences, no pleasure, nothing but an empty, cold stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem. Then look at Mary and Joseph kneeling before the manger. They must be tired. They must be very hungry. They must be cold in this damp stable in the midst of winter. Yet in the midst of all of this, Mary and Joseph are the happiest people to walk the face of this earth. Here in Bethlehem they are teaching us the amazing paradox, that it is only when we lose ourselves in the love and service of Jesus do we find happiness. Happiness that this world can never give and no one can take from us. But how can we lose ourselves in the love and service of Jesus? Jesus has made it very simple, “Whatever you do for one of these least brethren you do for me.”

So on the first day of the New Year, let us ask for the grace to know Jesus more intimately, love him more ardently and follow him more closely, so that this may be a truly Happy New Year!

The long wait is finally over. The star of Bethlehem has shone. The people of the world is in unison, singing the praises of God: "a child is born for us; alleluia, a son is given to us - alleluia." Four weeks of anticipation, of preparation, of longing ... and it is finally here - Jesus Christ, our Savior is Born!

Perhaps, in the course of time, you have received plenty of the most wonderful gifts you've ever received. And you have been grateful for that. But today, we celebrate the greatest gift of all. It is the gift of love from God. He sends His only begotten Son Jesus Christ into the world.

We offer today's Mass as a thanksgiving to the gift of love we have received - the love of our family, of friends, of our neighbors, of the people around us, of those whom we work with, of this parish community, of the Church but above all the love of God, which is constantly poured upon us each moment of our lives.

Let us not be swayed by the glitz of celebrating Christmas with all the material things we get or give, lest we forget that Christ is the true and only reason why December 25 is a special day.

The four Sundays of Advent prepares us to witness the birth of the Messiah. In this last Sunday of Advent, which is the Fourth leading to the grand celebration of Christmas, we are reminded that long before the coming of Christ, the people of Israel have been waiting in anticipation for the birth of its King. The patriarchs, the prophets, the kings - all have their eyes on the rise of the Star of David.

Today's gospel has given us the opportunity to look at the important role of Mary in the salvation history. Her "magnificat" as a response to the greetings of Elizabeth is a song of praise - Mary's song of praise to the immense mercy and compassion of God to His people.

It is fitting to recognize in this season of Advent the unique characteristic of Mary as the first disciple. She, who has believed that God's word to her would be fulfilled, invites us today to open our hearts as well to the grace of God and bring Jesus into the world specially where He is needed the most. May we all be inspired by the faith of Mary, our model of true discipleship, so that we could all be vessels of God's saving works to those around us.

Mary, model and symbol of the Church, pray for us that we may be like you who always pray: "thy will be done."

It is not unusual in the Church celebration that certain Sundays or feast derived its name at the Introit of that particular Sunday. The Introit is the entrance antiphon of the Mass. Today is one of those Sundays where in the antiphon we read at the beginning of the Mass says: "Rejoice," hence, Gaudete Sunday. Indeed, it is a Sunday to rejoice signaling the forth coming birth of the Savior.

Gaudete Sunday is a little break from the Advent mood which is typically quiet and penitential. We are invited by the Church to rejoice at the coming of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. We rejoice with the prophets of old who told of the virgin birth. We rejoice with the kings and servants of the David's covenant who awaited for the rise of the One True King who will rule the world. We rejoice!

In today's world where there are many challenges affecting our spirit of joy, let us remind ourselves that the source of true joy in our life was born 2,000 years ago whose becoming one of us and amongst us give us the reason to rejoice at all times, no matter what the circumstances and or situations. Truly, there are so many ways to keep that joy alive everyday. We just need to allow God to cast that rays of sunshine in our lives. As a parish community, may our presence serve as a source of joy in our faith and service to one another.

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent and like last week we are invited to enter into the season of hope - hope in the promise of peace as a fruit of Jesus' death and resurrection. In today's gospel, John the Baptist is at the center of the reading. But we all know that John's character of self-emptying, being the voice in the wilderness that announces the coming of the Lord.

John the Baptist is our model for this advent preparation. "Prepare the way of the Lord" is a common usage during this season. Just like the people of the time of Jesus, we are being called by the one that prepares the way of the Lord, and in today's world, it could be anyone who bears witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That being said, we are all called to imitate John the Baptist in paving the way for the coming of the Lord. How often do we live up our mission as new John the Baptists of our time? Let us, brothers and sisters, continue to deepen our spiritual preparation during this few more weeks in this advent season so that when we celebrate Christ's birth on Christmas, we are all blessed with the joy and peace of salvation.

Today, we have entered another new year in the life of the Church. The green colored vestments and linens that use to decorate our ordinary Sundays will be kept temporarily. The air will soon be filled with tidings of peace and joy. As we wait for that day when seemingly the world stops in adoration of the child Christ, let us prepare ourselves to welcome the coming of our Lord in the simplicity of our hearts’ stable. From now until the church choirs all around the world sings Hallelujah to the King that was born let us silently ask our heavenly Father to fill our hearts with longing for His kingdom.

Christmas is the time of the year when everything is covered with newness. Bright light shines, love abounds everywhere and gift-giving is the language that everybody speaks in unison. Nevertheless, there are many times that we are easily drawn by the glitter of secular festiveness that we forget the real reason why there’s such a joyous memorial. What used to be a simple occasion, which started in the humble stable of Nazareth, is often times clouded by extravagance.

I remember so many wonderful Christmas mornings growing up in a simple town, far from the noise of the city yet so close to the heart of the celebration. In those days, children had simple wishes. I had a simple wish – to see Santa Clause bringing my gift. It is funny now but way back I remember waiting for him each year. Then of course I learned that it was not Santa Clause who is the spirit of Christmas but the baby boy in the poor manger. And every year since then, I became more and more drawn to the self-less giving of God through the incarnation of His Son, Jesus. And when I became a priest, that exact act of giving of God became my daily inspiration. It was filled with challenges but nevertheless it is a life worth waking up to every new morning. This year is my first Christmas here at Saint Mark and Parish Communities. Indeed, I have so many blessings to thank for this year. There are many challenges ahead as a priest in general, but I know that the grace of God is greater than anything else and that your prayers and support will be the pillars of my strength, and for all of these I thank God for the gift of you. As we look forward to celebrate the birth of Christ, let us be reminded that Jesus, the Word Incarnate, came into the world so that we may have life in abundance. Let us pray for one another. God bless you and your family. May you have all a meaningful Advent Season!